Rope
by starry-oblivion
Summary: AU. Hermione convinces Draco to go on a tropical holiday, where they take to to having some fun on a rowboat.


"That's it, push us along!" Hermione laughed.

Grumbling, Draco waded into the water, shoving the boat off the shore and nearly stumbling when it became buoyant. "You know," he said, voice as lofty as ever, "when you said we were going sailing, I was expecting something more akin to a yacht. I've had bath toys larger than this contraption."

"There's absolutely nothing wrong with a rowboat!" Hermione remarked, winding up the rope that had secured the tiny dinghy to a palm tree on the shore. "Now get inside before the water gets too deep and I'm forced to drag you along behind me."

"You wouldn't dare!" he shot back, looking scandalized. "There are _animals_ out at sea!"

"There are animals right here along the coast, too," she informed him. "Mostly jellyfish." She had to jump back as he cried out, haphazardly throwing himself against the boat and clawing his way up. Landing back against the bench in a gale of laughter, Hermione was absolutely no help as the boat rocked back and forth while Draco struggled to tug himself in.

Panting at the exertion, it took Draco a few moments before he could pull himself up to his knees, one hand clinging to the side of the boat as it continued to sway with the waves. "Laugh it up, will you?" he told her bitterly. Realizing that she wasn't even paying attention to him, he scowled and muttered, "Oh, I'll give you something to laugh about!"

Hermione barely had the time to hold her hands up in an effort to keep him at bay before he grabbed for her, tugging her down onto the floor and deftly grabbing at the rope she'd dropped. Despite her struggling (interspersed with a healthy amount of threatening and laughing all at once), he soon managed to tie her hands together, looping it around the bench in an effort to keep her from moving too much.

Lashing out with her legs, she mixed screaming with laughing as she squirmed against him when he wrapped his arms around her waist. "Draco Malfoy, you untie me this _instant!_"

"Why would I do a thing like that?" he asked smugly. His hand still held tightly onto the loose end of the rope, knowing better than to actually tie her down in earnest. "I sort of like you this way. Arms bound over your head, keeping them out of my way and giving me free reign…."

Gaping at him as his meaning became clear, Hermione felt a blush tinge her cheeks as she gasped out, "Right here in broad daylight?!"

With a boyish sort of grin, Draco looked down at her before glancing over his shoulder, then over the other shoulder. "Right. With all of these spectators. How risky."

"That's not it," Hermione frowned, kicking him lightly on the shin. Embarrassed, she stammered for a moment before mentioning, "It's just… well… the sun is rather bright. Do you _really_ want to risk an awkward sunburn?"

Leaning back with a rich laugh, Draco's eyes sparkled a bit as he asked, "Really? That's your biggest concern? A sunburn on my bum?" Seeing the way she averted her eyes, he softened his tone just a bit before leaning over to untie her hands. "I'll let you rub me down with a bit of sun block, then, all right? I wouldn't want to end up a lobster for the sake of a bit of risqué fun, anyway."

When she nodded slowly, he undid the rope and carefully stood, reaching a hand down to help her to her feet. He held onto her for as much his own sake as for hers, considering that he was the last person in the world who would ever develop a pair of sea legs. "It never stops moving, does it?" he asked distastefully as he slowly sat himself down on the bench.

"You'll get used to it," Hermione told him, sitting beside him as she absently rubbed at her wrists. Before he could pay too much attention to that, she reached over for the pack she'd set down earlier, sifting through for the sun block. "How are you enjoying your first tropical holiday?"

Tugging his shirt off and primly folding it on his lap as he looked around at the miles of ocean laid out before them and the sandy beach that was steadily getting further and further away, he shrugged, keeping his voice light. "It's too hot, too humid, and too buggy, and that's only when it isn't too rainy to go out." Glancing over at the young woman sitting beside him, he lightened his voice just a touch as he concluded, "Luckily, the company has been more than bearable, so that makes up for a lot."

Glancing at him with an appreciative sort of smile, she told him, "I'm glad you think so. Now, turn around and let me get your back. With your fair complexion, you'll burn in no time."

"Yet another reason for Malfoys to stay out of the sun," Draco commented as he gave her his back. "You never bake like this in England."

Rubbing a bit of sun block between her hands to warm it up a bit before beginning to spread it on Draco's back, Hermione leaned in close to his ear and added, "I also never have an excuse to wear a two-piece swimsuit in England."

"You have _plenty_ of reasons to wear all sorts of things in England," Draco returned quickly. "If I had known you owned such a thing, I would have set aside an entire wing in the Manor to feel like the French Riviera. Temperature control, privacy, _and_ servants to wait on us hand and foot. None of this unpredictable weather nonsense or tugging boats here and there to island hop. Speaking of which, you _do_ know how to steer this thing, don't you?"

"Relax," she told him softly, continuing to rub his back. "The current isn't very strong; I should be able to row us back to shore so long as I can actually _see_ it."

"What about sharks?" Draco asked warily, leaning forward a bit to look over the side of the boat.

"The most dangerous things in these parts are the jellyfish," she assured him. "I promise. I wasn't about to risk turning you off of a bit of traveling after I finally convinced you to leave your house. It would be counterproductive."

"There are beaches in England," he brought up almost petulantly, letting his head hang as her hands began to feel like more of a massage than a quick rubdown. "Traveling hundreds of miles for a spot of sand and a jaunt in the ocean seems even more counterproductive."

"Behave," Hermione told him mildly, giving his shoulders a squeeze as though in warning. "Or else I might just have to take that rope back to the hotel to ensure that you don't run off on me when I'm not looking."

"Look at who's telling whom to behave," he replied with a grin. "Speaking of rope, though…." He turned slowly, reaching out for her wrist even as she frowned a little. "I think it's my turn to run my hands all over you."

"Draco , " Hermione brought up, "what about the rest of you? I really don't want you to get burned, you know."

"And I don't want _you_ getting burned," he told her innocently, widening his eyes as though surprised that she thought he was implying anything. "So since we only have so much time before you need to get on with navigating, I think I should work on you as soon as possible. Then you can steer us back towards shore… and we can drift off again. You can finish working on me then."

"For someone who was so sure he'd hate sailing, you don't seem too keen on stopping anytime soon," she pointed out with a small smirk.

"I'd still rather be on a couch with a decent book," Draco admitted, "but this isn't so bad. Besides… when have you ever steered me wrong before?"

"There's always a first time."

"The only first time I'm interested in is whatever we might get up to while on this boat."

"Oh, that's really going to lead me to believe that your intent is wholly innocent," Hermione scoffed. Of course, her voice softened a bit when he leaned in, his lips grazing against her throat. Her hands slid across his chest, the sun block making it a little hard to find purchase, but she didn't seem to care overly much as she tilted her head to give him more access to her neck.

"Draco?"

"Mm?"

"You know you don't need the rope to have your way with me, don't you?"

"Oh, I know," he murmured, and she could feel a grin pressed up against her skin. "But it wouldn't make for a very good anniversary if we didn't try something new, would it?"

And with a breathless laugh, Hermione wrapped her arms around him and replied, "No, I suppose not."


End file.
